Glucosamine Equal to Placebo in Treating Lower Back Pain

A new study has found that glucosamine is no better than placebo at reducing pain-related disability in people suffering from lower back pain (LBP) due to degenerative lumbar osteoarthritis (OA).

Researchers at Oslo University Hospital (OUH; Norway) conducted a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 250 participants aged over 25, who were recruited from outpatients attending the OUH outpatient clinic who had been experiencing LBP for more than six months, together with degenerative lumbar OA. The participants were randomized to two groups of 125 patients; one group took 1,500 mg of glucosamine supplement every day for 6 months, and the other group took a placebo. The patients underwent assessment at baseline, and then at fixed time points during the six month period, and again at one year. All patients completed the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) about their quality of life, level of disability, and levels of pain experienced during rest and activity.

The researchers found that at baseline, mean RMDQ scores were 9.2 for the glucosamine and 9.7 for the placebo group. At 6 months, the mean RMDQ score was the same for both groups; at one year, the mean RMDQ scores were 4.8 for glucosamine and 5.5 for the placebo group. No statistically significant difference in change between groups in RMDQ, LBP, or quality of life was found when assessed after the 6-month intervention period and at one year. Mild adverse events were reported in 40 patients in the glucosamine group and 46 in the placebo group. The study was published in the July 7, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

"Among patients with chronic LBP and degenerative lumbar OA, 6-month treatment with oral glucosamine compared with placebo did not result in reduced pain-related disability after the 6-month intervention and after 1-year follow-up,” concluded lead author Philip Wilkens, M.Chiro., and colleagues of the department of orthopedics.

Glucosamine is an amino sugar and a prominent precursor in the biochemical synthesis of glycosylated proteins and lipids, and is one of the most common nonvitamin, nonmineral, dietary supplements used by adults. Glucosamine is part of the structure of the polysaccharides chitosan and chitin, which compose the exoskeletons of crustaceans and other arthropods, cell walls in fungi, and many higher organisms. It is produced commercially by the hydrolysis of crustacean exoskeletons or, less commonly by fermentation of a grain such as corn or wheat.

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